What Makes a Great Hiring Manager (Part one of three)

Jessica Miller-Merrell, blogging4jobsThere are some moments that just stick with you. For me, one of those moments was when colleagues from other departments at the company I was working were discussing who had the worst job in the company. The overwhelming majority agreed that I took that title. They talked about how difficult it must be to anticipate staffing needs and constantly keep a pipeline of potential employees at the ready.

May 16, 2013

There are some moments that just stick with you. For me, one of those moments was when colleagues from other departments at the company I was working were discussing who had the worst job in the company. The overwhelming majority agreed that I took that title. They talked about how difficult it must be to anticipate staffing needs and constantly keep a pipeline of potential employees at the ready.

I thought the whole discussion was hilarious, but it did make me think about what exactly it meant to be the hiring manager and have what they viewed as the least-desired job in the whole company. In short: it was hard! I think it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and forget about all the skills it takes to pull it off. The constant decision making, networking and interviewing leaves little time to contemplate what makes a great manager and the areas in which we’re excelling or lacking.

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My experience as a hiring manager and working in HR has brought to light what some of those important areas and skills are. Here, in part one of this series, I’ll take a look at what fundamental things are vital to being a great hiring manager.

Education/continuing educationA college degree is almost always a requirement for becoming a hiring manager, but the reasons for having a solid education extend far beyond having a diploma to hang on the wall. The truth is you are a decision maker for your company and should be viewed as such. Regardless of your view on how much weight formal education holds, being well educated often demands more respect and trust from other key individuals in your company.

Beyond your college degree(s), continuing education is a valuable tool in a great HR manager’s toolbox. Beyond HR certifications or an MBA, there are a number of training topics from which hiring managers could benefit, from recruiting through social media to how to handle tough conversations better. Even if you’re an experienced pro, don’t discount the fact that your job is people-centric, and since people are constantly changing, there are always things you can learn.

ExperienceWe all started somewhere, and we all had our first day on the job at some point. I’m certainly not saying that a rookie HR manager can’t be exceptional in their position, but as they say, there’s no substitute for experience. What exactly does experience provide that nothing else can? A lot of crazy, you-wouldn’t-believe-it unless-you-saw-it encounters that require you to think critically and quickly. Experience also gives you an up-close view of what happens when you make a bad decision or a great one. Seeing how those decisions play out, from start to finish, shapes how you make decisions and gives you more of a 360 degree look at all the aspects of a decision.

Passion for peopleAs a hiring manager, your job is all about people. People you meet, people you recruit, people who seek you out. A great hiring manager is just as comfortable surrounded by people as they are shut in their office. You can absolutely “fake it ‘til you make it” and participate in pleasantries while hiding your discomfort, but there’s no substitute for a hiring manager who loves what they do.

Of these three facets of a great hiring manager, which holds the most weight with you? Tell us in the comments below how you would rank these.

It’s both surprising and disappointing to see that you listed Education as the first of your list of “fundamental things that are vital to being a great hiring manager.” You go on to say: “A college degree is almost always a requirement for becoming a hiring manager, but the reasons for having a solid education extend far beyond having a diploma to hang on the wall. The truth is you are a decision maker for your company and should be viewed as such. Regardless of your view on how much weight formal education holds, being well educated often demands more… Read more »

Part one of this series has already disappointed me. As an HR professional with a very successful track record of hiring talented people and no degree to read that a formal education will make those in an organization view me more as a decision maker and demands more respect is insulting at best. I do not disagree that an education is important but what makes others respect me as a decision maker and an authority in any organization I work for is my professionalism, my knowledge, and expertise. Education is great for the theory part of any career but… Read more »

What great article. Bang on the nail. Education will be and will always be the ticket to prosperity. I was a high school drop out, who by tooth and nail, returned to school and continues to keep learning and acquiring skills, knowledge and abilities.(finished my mba and am working on 2 HR certificates) If you remain constant, you never grow? Whose interested in the status quo? Most excellent employers and employees are not. Education is only part of the solution, the other soft skills, as in hunger, drive, motivation, persistence and so on are the other part of the solution.

In defense of the author, there is nothing wrong with having a formal education. Yes, there are many HR Managers/VPs who do not have degrees, however, the marketplace is trending towards having heavily credentialed and degreed professionals. Not everyone will have the luck, inside contacts or network to obtain such positions without a formal education. The number one problem with non-degreed HR mgrs, is that they are screening and recruiting employees requiring them to have degrees for their roles. This presents a double standard, allowing candidates to push back with the same argument (they can perform in their roles w/o degrees); creating a host of issues for company morale.… Read more »

Dear P and N, An education is beneficial from my experience……..it rounds one’s depth and enhances industry experience creating an edge. For this reason, it can evidence a point of difference. Yes, there are street credentialled hiring managers (without degree’s) who do as well as a degree qualified hiring manager……..however we all build experience both thru industry experience and theoretical learning…it is ongoing….as the addage goes “Knowledge is power”..the more you know, the better decision maker you aspire to be.

I hold an Honours Degree in Psychology. I do encourage people development but I do not think that my having a degree has helped me to become a successful senior recruitment head. People are my passion and that is why I am successful at it. Over 5years experience and sitting in hundreds of interviews, placing the wrong candidates and picking up later why they were an incorrect hire are the reasons for why I am a successful Recruitment Manager.

I’ll be interested to read parts II and III from the author, however, I find myself agreeing with most others who have already commented in terms of further education being vital to the success of a hiring manager. Experience is a given and I am surprised therefore that it features in this list. A passion for people is something I hear time and time again from people who are struggling to identify what they really are passionate about. I have also come across line managers (more times than I would like) who genuinely believe they are ‘people people’ and yet their… Read more »

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